On paper democratic system offers transparent government where checks and balances exist. The regime will be selected regularly based on meritocracy with ridiculous assumption people automatically choose the best in general election. But it is not for real.
Nowadays money turns out to play main role in democracy. Money controls democracy, be it in general election, legislating law or executing policy. This transpires not only in fledgling democratic country, such as Indonesia, but in advanced one, like America, as well.
Gamawan Fauzi, Minister of Home Affairs put forward something wrong with Indonesia’s regional general election. Based on his back-of-the-envelope scribbles, to be a governor, a candidate should raise fund Rp. 60-100 billion. The average salary of governor is only Rp. 8.6 million or if incentives added about Rp. 90 million per months. So in a year, the governor can only collect about Rp. 1 billion or Rp 5 billion until his last day in office. It’s clearly well below their campaign fund. And then, it makes sense that 155 regional heads implicated in corruption case and 74 out of that are governors.
The recent news of corruptions reveals more evidence that Indonesia’s democracy tends to corrupt.
As treasurer of ruling party, Nazaruddin has reasonably to provide finance to the party. Member contribution will not be enough. Owing to party’s domination in ministerial posts, the project kickbacks are the plausible source of fund. This might be also done by members of coalition party who hold certain portfolios. So finally the ministry is a cash cow for the party interest.
Furthermore, a brave lawmaker, Wa Ode Nurhayati divulged that central government budget allocation to regional governments is determined by collusion between the party and regional officers instead of regional need.
But, we are not alone. Surprisingly, America has also been contaminated by democracy-based corruption.
According to Joseph Stiglitz in his book Making Globalization Work, it was businessmen rather than politicians who shape the country’s policy. But, in contrast with Indonesians, they do bribery with dignity and sophisticated ploy. Outright bribery has been done in the cloak of political campaign contributions.
Forty-one companies (including General Electric, Microsoft, and Disney) invested$150 mil- lion to political parties and campaigns between 1991 and 2001, get, in return, $55 billion in tax breaks in three tax years alone. Pharmaceutical companies spent $759 million to influence 1,400 congressional bills between 1998 and 2004. So they get special treatment to set up the inexorable prices, even though the government is the largest buyer of their products.
Finally, there’s something wrong with democratic system. Lord Acton’s resounding words should be revised. Democracy is now on par with power or absolute power as the den of corruption!
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